By RTG Medical

May 4, 2023

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Skills Every Healthcare Traveler Should Have

RTG Medical provided this article.

Traveling healthcare professionals, whether nurses or other medical professionals, play a critical role in providing medical services to patients and filling staffing gaps around the country. To succeed in this field, healthcare travelers should possess unique skills and qualities that allow them to adapt quickly to new environments, work independently, and provide high-quality patient care. Here are the critical skills that every traveling healthcare professional should have to excel in their roles.

Adaptability

Traveling healthcare professionals often work in new and unfamiliar environments, adapting to new cities, facilities, staff, policies, and contracts. Having the ability to adjust to new situations is essential to success. In addition to adapting to new environments, several aspects of adaptability are necessary for traveling medical professionals:

  • Flexibility: Quickly adjusting to schedule changes, patient needs, and healthcare protocols is crucial.
  • Open-mindedness: Being open to new ideas and approaches can lead to better patient care and more effective teamwork with colleagues.
  • Resilience: Medical professionals often face difficult situations and high-stress environments. Having the ability to bounce back from setbacks is an integral part of adaptability.

By cultivating these skills, healthcare travelers can thrive in their work and provide the best patient care possible.

healthcare traveler

Clinical Expertise

Of course, having strong communication skills is essential for any medical professional. As a healthcare traveler, you should be confident in providing quality care in various clinical settings.

As a healthcare traveler, you’ll encounter diverse patients, each with a unique medical history, cultural background, and language barrier. Improving your clinical expertise can provide better care and build stronger patient relationships.

Taking continuing education courses, attending medical conferences, and learning about the latest medical advancements can improve your clinical expertise. Moreover, you can also seek mentorship from experienced healthcare professionals to improve your skills and knowledge.  You can build stronger relationships with your patients and provide the best care possible by constantly improving your clinical expertise.

Communication

healthcare traveler

Effective communication is crucial in any healthcare setting. As a traveling medical professional, you must communicate with patients and other healthcare professionals. Strong communication skills are fundamental in the healthcare industry, where clear and concise communication can be a matter of life and death. As a traveling medical professional, you’ll encounter a diverse range of patients and healthcare providers, each with their own unique communication styles and needs.

Here are some tips for effective communication in a healthcare setting:

  • Listen Actively: Take the time to truly listen to patients and colleagues and ask clarifying questions when needed.
  • Be clear and concise: Use simple language and avoid complicated medical terminology when speaking with patients. In addition, be precise and use appropriate terminology when talking with other medical professionals.
  • Use nonverbal cues: Body language and tone of voice can convey just as much information as words. Make eye contact, use appropriate facial expressions, and pay attention to your tone and pitch.
  • Be respectful: Treat everyone with respect and empathy, regardless of their background or circumstances. This includes patients, their families, and your colleagues.
  • Use technology wisely: With the rise of telemedicine and remote work, it’s important to be comfortable using technology to communicate. Ensure you understand how to use any communication tools you’ll be using and be mindful of privacy and security concerns.

By practicing these communication skills, you’ll be better equipped to provide quality patient care and collaborate effectively with your colleagues, no matter where your travels take you.

Time Management

Being a traveling healthcare professional means working in different locations with varying schedules. Effective time management skills are crucial in keeping you organized and meeting deadlines. Here are some tips to help you manage your time more efficiently:

  • Use a planner or calendar to keep track of your schedule and deadlines, including travel time.
  • Prioritize your tasks based on their importance and urgency to avoid procrastination and stay focused on the essential tasks.
  • Minimize distractions while working by turning off your phone or finding a quiet workspace.
  • Take short breaks throughout the day to avoid burnout and increase productivity. Use this time to stretch or take a walk.
  • Stay flexible and adaptable because unexpected changes may occur that require you to adjust your schedule or priorities.

By implementing these time management strategies, you can stay organized, efficient, and productive while working as a traveling medical professional.

As a traveler, you may face additional challenges, such as jet lag or adjusting to different time zones. To help combat these challenges, consider the following tips:

  • Get a good night’s sleep before traveling to your next location
  • Try to adjust your sleep schedule gradually before arriving at your destination
  • Stay hydrated and eat healthy meals to keep your energy levels up
  • Take advantage of any downtime during travel, such as waiting at the airport, to catch up on work or rest
  • If possible, schedule your work tasks around your natural energy patterns. For example, if you are more alert in the morning, schedule your most important tasks for that time.

By incorporating these additional tips into your time management strategies, you can ensure that you are organized and productive and care for your physical and mental well-being while working in different locations.

Emotional Intelligence

As a traveling nurse, it’s essential to recognize that patient care extends beyond medical interventions. Cultural differences can significantly impact patient care, making it crucial to take the time to learn about a patient’s cultural background and beliefs. This helps to provide respectful and culturally appropriate care, which can make all the difference in a patient’s recovery.

Patients may experience feelings of vulnerability or anxiety, particularly if they are in an unfamiliar setting. Explaining procedures and treatments clearly and compassionately can help alleviate these feelings and put patients at ease.

Sometimes, you may encounter patients with complex medical histories or conditions requiring specialized care. Working closely with the patient’s healthcare team is essential to ensure the patient receives the best possible care.

healthcare traveler

Overall, empathy and openness to understanding each patient’s unique needs and circumstances are crucial for providing high-quality care. As a traveling nurse, approaching each patient with these qualities will improve their physical and emotional health.

To succeed as a healthcare traveler, one must possess various skills, including adaptability, clinical expertise, communication, time management, and emotional intelligence. Adaptability is crucial when working in new and unfamiliar environments, and clinical expertise can enhance patient care. Effective communication can convey information with clarity and empathy; time management skills can help you stay organized and efficient. Emotional intelligence is essential in recognizing cultural differences and providing respectful, culturally appropriate care. By mastering these skills, healthcare travelers can provide high-quality patient care and make the most out of each assignment.

Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By Host Healthcare

May 2, 2023

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6 Tips For How to Study For NCLEX Exam

Host Healthcare provided this article.

After years of hard work, time-consuming classes, and difficult clinical practice, you’ve finally reached the last step to becoming a full-fledged, practicing nurse: the NCLEX. But do you know how to pass the NCLEX?

The National Council Licensure Examination, also known as the NCLEX, is a rigorous and sometimes overwhelming certification process that every nursing student is required to take. The NCLEX is a computerized exam that tests your ability to provide basic medical care for entry-level nursing jobs. Once you pass the NCLEX, you receive a license that classifies you as a registered nurse (or practical nurse). Once you’ve passed your licensing exam, you can begin the journey of advancing your nursing career

The idea of getting your career up and running is exciting, but it can’t be done without passing the NCLEX first. If you have the desire to know more about this critical exam and ensure you pass without any issues, read on for six tips and tricks on how to study for NCLEX.

nclex exam

#1 Understand What the NCLEX Looks Like

The NCLEX exam is like no other. One of the most significant factors setting it apart from other tests is the way it utilizes a form of modern test-taking through computerized adaptive technology (CAT). This means that each nursing student’s exam is going to look a little different, with its own question algorithm. As you take the test, this algorithm will continue adjusting itself and asking new questions based on your previous answers. 

Passing the exam requires 95% correct answers within the allotted time.

Many of the specifics of your exam are going to depend on one important factor: which type of NCLEX you’re taking.

What is the NCLEX-RN vs. the NCLEX-PN?

Registered nurses and practical nurses must take their own form of the NCLEX to become certified in the nursing field. While there are many similarities between RNs and PNs, there are also some key factors that set these positions (and their NCLEX exams) apart:

  • Registered nurse – In order to become a registered nurse, you will need to fulfill an educational requirement prior to taking your exam at a testing center. This is done by taking part in a nursing program. Earning either an associate’s degree in nursing (typically a two-year program) or a bachelor’s of science in nursing (a four-year program) will allow you to earn your RN certification upon completing the NCLEX-RN.
  • Practical Nurse – A college degree is not a requirement for becoming a practical nurse, making it one of the most noticeable differences when comparing the two certifications. Instead, the education needed to earn a PN title consists of a high school diploma and a practical nursing course. A practical nursing course will typically take a year or so to complete, and upon graduation from the nursing program, you will need to pass the NCLEX-PN. 

Now that you’re familiar with the unique qualifications required by these two job titles, it’s time to take a look at the differences between their respective exams:

  • NCLEX-RN – The NCLEX-RN exam consists of anywhere between 75 and 265 questions. These NCLEX questions encompass a variety of information needed to perform the duties of a registered nurse. Test takers are allotted six hours to complete the exam.
  • NCLEX-PN – Unlike its RN counterpart, the NCLEX-PN exam will have a smaller range of questions, between 85 and 205. As a result of having fewer questions, test takers are allowed a maximum of five hours to complete the exam. The questions on the NCLEX-PN will have greater relevance to the work of a PN, though both exams will focus on basic medical knowledge and nursing tasks.

Whether you will be taking the registered nurse or the practical nurse exam, the following NCLEX test-taking strategies will help you study in more efficient and effective ways. 

nclex exam

#2 Take Practice Tests

It is suggested to create an NCLEX test plan in order to properly prepare for this exam, which is known for its challenges. Creating a study schedule for completing a practice exam is an easy and accessible way to familiarize yourself with the NCLEX format before your test day. Taking practice tests will also help you study the material and prepare for the pressure and time limit when your actual exam date arrives.

You can access a variety of NCLEX practice tests online, using websites such as:

  • NCSBN.org
  • Nurse Plus
  • Kaptest
  • NCLEX RN Mastery

When preparing for the exam, you may receive a practice test that is a shorter version of the NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN, while others will more accurately reflect the length of the real test. It may be helpful to do a combination of both formats to get the most out of your studying time. It’s important for you to familiarize yourself with the wide variety of practice questions being asked while also preparing for the time constraints and overall length of the real exam.

#3 Listen to Nurses Who Have Passed

Getting advice from real nurses who have passed the NCLEX is a great way to study and set your expectations for the test. Fortunately, recently developed modern technology has made it easier than ever to hear real-life experiences from other nurses and connect with communities that understand your questions and concerns. 

Some ways you can learn about the NCLEX from other nurses include:

Just because you have to take the test on your own doesn’t mean you have to prepare for it alone. Finding information from registered nurses can be done easily online, and it’s a great way to mold your studying habits based on real-world experiences.

#4 Form a Study Group

nclex exam

Speaking of studying with others, another tip for how to study for the NCLEX is by forming a study group with your peers. 

The NCLEX is an extensive exam that covers a vast array of information. In nursing school, you’re likely to meet many different people who have unique strengths and weaknesses in the medical field. Studying with your peers will bring together different types of nurses with their own specialties, thus strengthening the knowledge of everyone involved. 

The ability to support and care for your peers is a vital skill needed in the nursing field. Being able to do this for your peers via a study group is not only going to increase everyone’s chances of passing, but it’s also great practice for your future in the medical field.

#5 Study Questions You Get Wrong

It’s important when studying and taking practice tests that you don’t ignore questions you’re getting wrong. While it may be tempting to continue studying questions you already got right as a means of boosting your confidence, it’s vital that you understand the reasons behind any incorrect answers.

When you’re taking a practice test, make sure to complete it entirely to get the answer key at the end. Take a look at any questions you answered incorrectly. You need to make a plan to study those topics more carefully. Committing these answers to memory will help you on your exam day and ensure the questions you stumbled on while studying don’t hurt your final score on the real test. 

#6 Prep for Your Exam Date

Studying the material is important but shouldn’t be the only thing on your pre-exam checklist. Showing up prepared on your test date is vital to making sure you can take the test and perform successfully with high marks. 

The night before your exam, make a checklist of everything you need to bring the following day. While this list may differ slightly for everyone, some important things to remember are:

  • Your authorization to test (ATT)
  • A form of signed identification
  • Lunch or a snack for your break

Additionally, you’ll want to remember what not to bring to your testing site. These items include:

  • An expired form of identification
  • Identification that does not match your current appearance or name
  • Anything you don’t feel comfortable leaving in a locker

Getting a good night’s sleep is an essential part of your test preparation. It is also recommended that you arrive 30 minutes before your exam time, so make sure you set an alarm, wake up early, and leave enough time for your commute.

What the Future Holds: Becoming a Travel Nurse with Host Healthcare

At Host Healthcare, we are committed to helping you achieve success in your nursing career. Our NCLEX tips and tricks may have provided you with valuable insights to pass your exam and begin your journey as a registered or practical nurse, but we don’t stop there. We believe that life is about adventure and experiencing new things. That’s why we offer travel nursing opportunities that allow you to explore new places while pursuing your passion for nursing.

As a travel nurse with Host Healthcare, you can combine your love for travel with your passion for helping others. We provide you with the support and guidance you need to make your experience unforgettable. From matching you with a recruiter to finding the perfect assignment, we are with you every step of the way.

Whether you’re a recent nursing graduate or an experienced nurse looking for a change, Host Healthcare is here to help you achieve your goals. Our mission is to bring skilled medical professionals like you to new areas, ensuring that patients in every corner of the country receive quality care. We are excited to partner with you on this journey and can’t wait to see where your nursing career takes you.

Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By AMN Healthcare

May 1, 2023

3175 Views

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Finding the Best Assignments in Travel Nursing

AMN Healthcare provided this article.

A career as a travel nurse can provide you with adventure, professional development, and personal growth. With literally thousands of travel nurse jobs available across the United States, you can also choose when and where you work.

However, with so many options, such as various locations, clinical settings, organizational cultures, and compensation packages, how can you select the most suitable assignments? 

The key components are focusing on your personal and professional priorities, conducting some research, and forming a partnership with a travel nurse agency that will position you for success. These means will require some work front and center, yet they can significantly affect the long haul.

Here are a few critical variables to remember as you start your journey to find prime travel nurture tasks and score your best agreement yet!

assignments in travel nursing

How to Find a Travel Nursing Assignment

Selecting a reputable staffing agency, such as American Mobile, and beginning work with a recruiter are the first steps in finding a travel nursing assignment. This step should include online research, requesting referrals from nursing colleagues, and conducting due diligence when contacting an agency. Before deciding if this is the right company for you, learn about the available jobs, reputation, and benefits.

From that point, the fun starts! You can make a list of your preferred travel locations and facilities—teaching hospitals, trauma centers, smaller rural facilities, etc.—before your first meeting with your recruiter. After that, browse the AMN Passport to get a sense of the available opportunities and submit an application within the app. You can likewise set your inclinations in the application to get robotized warnings.

Your travel nurse agency’s database may allow you to search assignments by contract length, location, specialty, and more. Preparing a list of assignments that have piqued your interest will help you when it comes to the next step.

Clarify your personal priorities:

 You and your recruiter will be able to choose the best travel nursing assignment for your situation if you evaluate job opportunities based on your priorities. Your recruiter ought to take the time to inquire about your “must-have” and “nice-to-have” lists for potential assignments from the very beginning.

When selecting travel nursing assignments, consider the following:

assignments in travel nursing

Assessing job opportunities based on your priorities will help you and your recruiter identify the best travel nursing assignment for your situation. Right from the start, your recruiter should take the time to ask you several questions to help discover your “must-have” list vs. your “nice-to-have” list for potential assignments.

Some of the factors to consider in selecting travel nurse assignments may include:

  • Geographical location, including whether it is close to people or places you want to visit
  • Community profile, such as city size, climate, and type of activities available nearby
  • Type and reputation of healthcare facility and unit (i.e., a Magnet-designated hospital)
  • Clinical experience and support that may be available
  • The compensation package, including your travel nursing salary and benefits
  • Length of assignment and type of shifts available

Network with fellow travel nurses

Developing a network of travel nurses can also assist you in your search for the most You never know when a highly sought-after position might become available, and a colleague in travel nursing might recommend you for it. Making associations is not difficult to do through web-based entertainment, AMN Passport, online gatherings and gatherings, and different methods for computerized relationship building.

Be that as it may, remember eye-to-eye contact, as well. Inquire with the nurses you currently work with to see if they know any travelers who might be interested in learning more about the area and offering advice.

Update your resume

 Your resume may have been overlooked if you haven’t looked for a job in a while. If that is the case, you should update it as soon as possible before submitting your complete travel nursing application. Make sure that all of your experience, certifications, special skills, and other accomplishments are up to date because your recruiter will use this information to create your candidate packet, which will be presented to client facilities. Additionally, see “Expert Advice for Writing a Nursing Resume.”)

Notwithstanding, on the off chance that you really want the additional opportunity to guarantee that your resume precisely mirrors your nursing vocation and features the things that make you stick out, don’t let that keep you away from conversing with a spotter. You can let your recruiter know that your resume still needs some work by filling out American Mobile’s quick online application as a starting point. In point of fact, your recruiter might be able to offer you some guidance with regard to making those updates.

Build a relationship with your recruiter.

assignments in travel nursing

As you start working with your movement nurture scout, you’ll before long find the significance of laying out a trust-based relationship. You not only want to have faith that they are thinking of your best interests, but they also need to know that you are truly qualified for the position and that you will effectively represent their business when you arrive at the facility.

Correspondence is of the most extreme significance. Staying in touch via phone, email, and text is part of this, as is being open and honest about your needs and wants. A prompt response time can help ensure that you don’t miss any chosen assignments and is always appreciated.

American Portable travel medical caretakers can likewise utilize the AMN Visa Application to rapidly find occupations of interest and speak with their spotter. The app makes submitting applications and documentation on time from your smartphone simple!

Heed expert advice and know when to be flexible.

Keeping an open mind and being agreeable to unexpected opportunities is one of the easiest ways to ensure you have a great experience as a travel nurse. Being too rigid about location or any other factor may exclude you from some amazing travel nurse assignments.

Honestly, it can be difficult to find an assignment that matches everything on your wish list. That’s why it’s important to be clear about any “nonnegotiable” items yet willing to listen and take your recruiter’s advice based on what they know about you and the hiring facility. If they recommend a certain assignment, there is a good reason they are doing so! And as you continue to build that relationship, you will learn to rely on their wisdom and experience even more.

Are you looking for your next travel nurse assignment? Click here to view our job board. Do you need housing for an upcoming assignment? Click here to search our housing page.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By StaffDNA

April 30, 2023

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Decoding Travel Nurse Rates: Anticipating Increases or Decreases Ahead

StaffDNA provided this article.

In the last three and a half years, bill rate fluctuations have sometimes felt a bit like whiplash. Travel nursing changed fast when the Covid-19 Pandemic hit, and the ripple effect caused by the pandemic kept making waves well into two and three years later. 

Now, the healthcare industry is shifting again. Masks are coming off, visitor restrictions are being lifted, and in some ways, it feels like we are headed back to a true “normal.” But is the normal of the pre-pandemic travel nursing industry truly what we can expect to see in the coming months?

The short answer: no.

pay rate

The Start of It All

Back in 2016-2019, typical travel nurse pay packages averaged around $1,500-1,700 per week gross pay. If you were licensed in California, you may have been able to find pay above $2,000 gross due to union requirements and overtime laws. 

Once the pandemic hit in 2020, the whole hospital system was thrust into shock as hospitals tried to figure out how to take care of higher volumes of super sick patients seemingly instantly. 

At that point, there were significant drops in certain travel specialties while others saw an incredible spike in both rates and needs. Areas like allied health and pediatrics basically hit a standstill. Kids were staying home from school and not being exposed to illnesses as frequently, and thousands of surgeries were canceled, drastically reducing the need for therapists to help rehab post-surgical patients. 

Sky High Pandemic Rates

Between government aid and pure need for survival, hospitals were able to pay huge amounts to travel nurses. Gross rates for adult nurses skyrocketed to over $10,000 a week, and there were jobs in every location you could imagine. 

The key thing to remember about this time is these nurses also had to deal with significant safety concerns. Vaccinations were not an option, PPE was in critically low supply, and in some places, you were lucky to have an N95 available unless you brought your own. Front-line workers were getting sick no matter their age, and there were a lot of big, scary unknowns. So yes, the money was great, but a lot of people were not willing to put their health and well-being on the line to work in those conditions, no matter what they paid.

The Second Wave of Covid Travelers

Fast forward a couple of years, and while the five-figure rates had started to dwindle, travel nurses could still expect to make close to $4,000 per week gross fairly easily, and more if you got lucky and found a place that was willing to pay for a crisis contract.

Here, we saw a second wave of Covid travelers start to enter the workforce. A lot of these nurses were people who were feeling burnt out and frustrated after working in pandemic conditions for two years, often understaffed and short on supplies. Now, however, the risk of getting sick was much lower with vaccination available, and the country had finally gotten on top of the PPE shortage, so you knew you wouldn’t be expected to take care of the sickest of the sick without proper protection. 

In the last year, this has caused somewhat of a flooded market. We aren’t seeing the volume of sick patients that we had in 2020 or even a year ago, so hospitals simply aren’t willing to pay exorbitant rates to keep staffing numbers up. The “threat” of horribly short staffing simply doesn’t seem as threatening anymore. 

Leveling Out

As a result, basic economics has taken over. The supply of travel nurses is much higher than before the pandemic, but contracts have taken a dip. Not only are we not dealing with pandemic-level patient numbers, but we are going into summer and coming out of respiratory season.

Hospital systems have realized that they currently have the upper hand in the market and that the supply outweighs the demand for nurses in the travel sector. This happens every year during the spring, but it simply seems more pronounced this year because rates had been so incredibly high for so long. 

If you were a travel nurse before 2020, you probably know most of this already. Generally, during the summer, you would expect a dip in pay and opportunity and aim to extend if you had the opportunity at a decent location. Then, when fall rolls around and more people are sick with influenza and other illnesses, you can strategically pick an assignment that pays a premium rate if that is your goal. 

How This Affects Pay Rates

So, let’s get to rates. Obviously, supply and demand have a direct effect on rates and what hospitals are willing to pay. If managers are struggling to get job applicants, they are more willing to offer a little extra money to entice you to work for them. If they are getting 50 applicants per open position, they realize they can save some money and still hire a quality candidate. 

Is it fair to get paid less for doing the same job? Many could argue either way, but unfortunately, travel nursing rates have always varied based on a variety of factors, and this is where we are right now. 

What the Future Holds

pay rate

Going forward, a few things will likely happen to the travel market. Travel nurses who were only traveling for the sake of very good rates or only for crisis rates will likely reconsider their plans for the future. For those who were traveling and returning home regularly, lower rates might mean it’s not worth it to keep traveling away from home. A large number may decide to return home to staff jobs rather than trying to make travel nursing work with a lower rate. 

For those travelers that are looking to keep working as travel nurses regardless of rate changes, this could be beneficial. As some travelers leave the workforce, jobs will once again be more difficult to fill, and hospitals will have to adjust rates accordingly. 

It is impossible to predict exactly what travel nursing pay will look like six months or a year from now. However, a fair estimate would probably be that rates will be lower through the summer months and then pick back up again in the fall. 

Will Travel Nursing Rates Ever Hit Pre-Pandemic Rates?

It seems unlikely. Short-term housing prices are higher than they were pre-pandemic, not to mention travel and living expenses. Hospitals will have to pay more than they did in the past to make it profitable for nurses to duplicate expenses and pay for travel. 

What you can likely expect is rates above pre-pandemic numbers, but don’t expect to see those $10,000 weekly packages any time soon. Aim to minimize your tax home expenses as much as you can if you want to make the most of travel nursing income, and think about whether you are traveling for profit or for fun. Sometimes the perks of being a traveler outweigh being a staff nurse, no matter the pay rate!

Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. There you can search for what you are looking for in housing.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By Favorite Healthcare Staffing

April 28, 2023

4134 Views

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Inspiring Future Nurses and Healthcare Professionals

Favorite Healthcare Staffing provided this article.

Did you know that the healthcare field is expected to face a nursing shortage? The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that there will be over 200,000 openings for RNs each year through 2031. Many of these openings will result from the need to replace nurses who retire. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, “by 2034, there will be 77 million people age 65 years and older compared to 76.5 million under the age of 18,” making it the first time in U.S. history that older people are projected to outnumber children. With the aging population and increased need for geriatric care, it’s essential for the younger generation to get hands-on experience and explore jobs in the healthcare field.

By attending career fairs and summer nursing camps, children and teenagers can gain valuable insight into the world of healthcare and potentially pave the way for their future careers. By 2030, over a million nurses will have retired, and with the right tools, we can help inspire future healthcare professionals.

Healthcare Job Fairs

Exploring healthcare careers can be an exciting and educational experience, especially when attending healthcare job fairs. Kelly Grebe, Colorado Director of Business Development, recently attended the “Get into the Guts of Healthcare” career event hosted by the Northern Colorado Health Sector Partnership. During the event, 8th-grade students had the opportunity to explore careers in medicine and immerse themselves in the world of healthcare.

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Kelly Grebe, Director of Business Development – Colorado

We asked Kelly why events like this can provide value to the younger generation, and she said, “I think it’s important for kids to begin exploring all career possibilities at an early age, educating themselves about different paths they can take that align with their skills and their values.”

At the event, students participated in interactive healthcare learning opportunities hosted by industry partners such as Favorite Healthcare Staffing’s Colorado Branch. With events like these, career fairs provide a unique opportunity to gain valuable insight and education in the healthcare field. Kelly says, “I think events like an interactive career fair give kids the knowledge and hands-on experience to motivate them and grow their confidence. It demystifies the work and hopefully helps them realize that they can do the work.”

Kelly described her time at the career fair as rewarding. “I had students come through in small groups, and I shared information about Favorite and the possibilities for travel healthcare positions. It was interactive, so I worked with the kids on using a pulse oxygen machine and then had them do brief deep breathing exercises to see if they could change their heart rate or oxygen level. The kids loved it.”

Summer Nursing Camps and Healthcare Programs

Another great way to experience the healthcare field is through attending summer nursing camps. These immersive programs offer hands-on experiences designed to equip students with the skills necessary to provide top-notch patient care, practice in state-of-the-art simulation labs, and even get CPR certified. Just ask Carter, a University of Texas at Austin student whose time at Ascension Seton Medical Camp set him on the path to a job in the healthcare field.

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Carter, University of Texas at Austin Student

Corey Shepard, Carter’s mom and Senior Vice President at Favorite, noted that attending this summer camp “drove Carter’s passion to help others and pursue a career in nursing. After nursing school, his plans are to pursue a CRNA (Nurse Anesthetist) path.” Corey also emphasized the importance of these programs, noting that they give students invaluable real-life experience and a leg up in competitive healthcare programs. “These programs provide a great hands-on experience and give insight on what your future career feels like and validate the path you want to pursue,” Corey said. As you explore summer nursing camp options, keep in mind that they fill up fast – so start doing your research early on!

Below we’ve compiled a list of camps that offer a wide range of educational opportunities. From traditional classroom learning to interactive healthcare simulations, there’s something for every student. Explore the possibilities and find the perfect program for your future healthcare professional today!

Summer Nursing Camps

B.E.S.T. Summer Medical Academy

Location: Tampa, FL

Enrollment Dates: Jan 16-March 6

Program Duration/Dates: 2-day camp, June 4 – June 5

Level: High school, 10th-12th grade

Estimated Cost: $750-$1,250

Website

The B.E.S.T. Summer Medical Academy gives students the opportunity to get hands-on experience in a variety of medical-related fields, such as learning medical procedures, watching surgeries, shadowing health professionals, volunteering in hospitals, interacting with patients, and more. Included in the cost of the camp, attendees will be provided with a set of B.E.S.T scrubs, a medical kit, B.E.S.T sourcebook, and a B.E.S.T t-shirt. Although the registration period for this camp has passed, be sure to keep it on your radar for next year!

National Student Leadership Conference on Nursing

Location: Washington DC

Enrollment Dates: Contact the NSLC for more details

Program Duration/Dates: June 17 – June 25, June 29 – July 7, July 11 – July 19 & July 23 – July 31

Level: High school, 9th-12th grade

Estimated Cost: $3,795

Website

The National Student Leadership Conference focuses on patient care and provides students with the tools necessary to provide high quality patient care and a hands-on experience to different challenges that nurses face daily. Students will also get to learn from leaders in the healthcare community through exclusive guest speakers. Unique to the National Student Leadership Conference, students can earn college credit by enrolling in supplemental online courses. Program tuition includes housing, all on-campus meals, course materials, academic expenses, and activities. Tuition also includes chartered, air-conditioned motor coaches for off-campus briefings and tours.

High School Nurse Camp by Liberty University

Location: Lynchburg, Virginia

Enrollment Dates: Registration opens March 1st

Program Duration/Dates: 3-day camp

Level: High school

Estimated Cost: $300

Website

This High School Nurse Camp hosted by Liberty University provides students with the ultimate opportunity to experience nursing through a biblical worldview. Attendees will be presented with hands-on learning experiences in the School of Nursing Simulation Center. The cost of tuition includes daily meals, camp scrubs, a stethoscope and a camp shirt.

Introduction to Nursing Program by Adelphi University

Location: Garden City, New York

Enrollment: Closes May 31, 2023, at 4:30

Program Duration/Dates: July 9-July 29, 2023

Level: High school

Estimated Cost: $3,000-$5,200

Website

Students will examine and consider the profession of nursing and the various roles of a Registered Nurse. Attendees will participate in educational simulation experiences in a state-of-the-art Clinical Education and Simulation lab, understand different areas of clinical expertise and earn CPR certification from the American Heart Association. This will aid the students in exploring the importance of professional values and ethical behavior, the nurse-patient relationship, critical thinking and reasoning, as well as communication with patients and healthcare professionals.

Summer Nursing Camp by Oklahoma City University

Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Enrollment: Closes May 6, 2023

Program Duration/Dates: June 28-30

Level: High school

Estimated Cost: Contact OKCU for more details

Website

Camp Kramer Way is an opportunity for high school students who are interested in nursing to experience realistic patient-care scenarios. This camp fosters a learning environment where students are challenged to think critically and holistically. Attendance is free for up to 20 students and camp participants will stay two nights in the university’s housing facilities where all meals are included free of charge.

HEALERS by UAMS Health

Location: Little Rock, Arkansas

Enrollment: Closes March 31, 2023

Program Duration/Dates: June 5 – June 16

Level: High school, 11th-12th grade

Estimated Cost: Contact UAMS Health for more details

Website

This program allows students to ask questions about a variety of medical careers directly from professionals in the field to potentially jumpstart their career in medicine. Students will also learn how to administer first aid, Basic Life Support, demonstrate a better understanding of medical terminology, demonstrate increased awareness of health issues and gain experience in a clinical setting. Although this year’s registration has closed, mark your calendars and prepare for next year’s camp experience!

Arkansas Children’s Hospital Junior Volunteer Program

Location: Little Rock, Arkansas

Enrollment: Closes April 7th, 2023

Program Duration/Dates: June 12-23, July 10-21

Level: High school, 9th-12th grade

Estimated Cost: Contact Arkansas Children’s Hospital for more details

Website

Students can also choose to volunteer their time at local hospitals to gain real-life experience in the healthcare field. Arkansas Children’s Hospital offers a junior volunteer program for high school students aged 14-18 to support their mission of making children better today and healthier tomorrow. Volunteers should be interested in entering the healthcare field and willing to have a hands-on learning experience. This year, they are also offering a summer program that will provide students with getting immersed in various hospital settings, all with the common goal of improving the patient’s and family experience and engaging young adults with opportunities in healthcare. Although enrollment for the summer program has closed, Arkansas Children’s Hospital also has a year-round volunteer program.

Keep in mind that there are many programs and volunteer opportunities to choose from that will help inspire future nurses and healthcare professionals! A good starting point would be to check with your local colleges, universities, and hospitals to see what programs are available.

Due to the nursing crisis, the rise in demand for healthcare professionals has created a need for qualified and well-trained individuals. Attending healthcare job fairs and summer nursing camps can offer the younger generation valuable insight into the different aspects of healthcare. With the knowledge and skills obtained from these programs, young adults can be inspired and better prepared to take on future roles needed in the healthcare field.

With hundreds of job openings available nationwide, Favorite can help find you the perfect position. Get started by searching our current job openings and connect with a recruiter today! 

Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By Gifted Healthcare

April 28, 2023

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Why Nurse Certification Is Important for Travel Nurses

This article was provided by Gifted Healthcare.

Nurse certification is a formal process that tests your clinical knowledge, judgment, and experience in a subject or nursing specialty. Certification is the perfect way to accelerate your travel nursing career, increase your salary, and boost your confidence. It’s also a great way to attain personal growth as you strive to live your best nurse life.

This post will cover the basics of nursing certification and explain why each is so important for travel RNs and clinicians who want to take the next step in their travel nursing careers.

The Benefits of Nursing Certifications

The world of travel nursing is vast, and there are many excellent job opportunities available across the country. But on a basic level, earning a nursing certification can significantly boost your career. See below for the benefits.

Better Travel Nursing Assignments

Becoming certified means you have validated, specialized skills in your RN specialty. The more skills you have, the more marketable you are as a per diem or travel nurse. Earning nursing certifications will improve your prospects of getting the travel nursing assignment you want and also make more travel nursing assignments available to you.

Higher Pay & Career Advancement

This also offers the opportunity for upward mobility once you have landed an assignment. The more responsibility you have as a nurse, the more you get paid.

In addition to higher salaries, nursing certifications command recognition and respect within the healthcare world. Your certification proves that you have worked hard to learn a valuable and specialized skill, which makes supervisors and teammates more likely to depend on you and invest in your professional growth.

Personal Growth

Aside from the professional benefits, earning a nursing certification also provides the opportunity for personal growth. The confidence boost from achieving a hard-earned goal can make a real difference in how you feel, which leads to better performance at work and better care for your patients.

Basic Certification Requirements for Travel Nursing

Two basic certifications are required to be a travel nurse: Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS).

certifications

However, earning additional nursing certifications will dramatically increase your standing in the job market as well as your earning potential.

Important certifications include Acute/Critical Care Nursing (CCRN)Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP)Basic Life Support (BLS)Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS)AIDS Certified Registered Nurse (ACRN)Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN)Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC) Certification, and many more.

Find a list of common nursing certifications here.

How Do You Know You’re Ready to Become Certified?

Plenty of preparation is required to become certified. Check to see if you meet the eligibility requirements, like meeting the minimum years of experience providing care for a specific patient population.

For example, to become certified as a critical care nurse (CCRN) or progressive care nurse (PCCN), you do not need a formal education to apply. But it is helpful to prepare with any available prep courses, study materials, and practice tests so you can get ready for certification. If you’re acing the practice exams for the certification you’re trying to earn, that’s a great sign you’re ready!

However, becoming an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) requires additional formal education like a master’s or doctoral degree.

For more information on preparing for the certification process, visit the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) website.

Important Nursing Certifications

While there are many different types of nursing certifications, several highly-regarded ones are common and could be a great place to start. See below to learn about a few different important nursing certifications.

Wound Care Certification (WCC)

Wound care nurses provide care for patients dealing with acute and chronic wounds, assisting with the development of their treatment plans and taking measures to prevent infection.

Click here to learn about the requirements for the WCC certification exam.

certifications

Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification (CMSRN)

On any given shift, a MedSurg nurse could care for a patient suffering from an animal bite, a patient with diabetes, a patient recovering from a transplant, and a patient with asthma. MedSurg nurses also may carry a heavier patient load than other specialties, often handling 5-7 patients at a time. They are trained to recognize and understand a large range of medical conditions.

Learn more about becoming Med-Surg certified at the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses’ website.

An individual must be a registered nurse (RN) with a current U.S. license, have practiced for at least two years as an RN in a medical-surgical setting, and accrued 2,000 hours of practice within the past three years to be eligible for medical-surgical certification.

Critical Care Certification (CCRN)

A critical care RN provides care for patients with serious or life-threatening injuries and medical problems. Because of the severity of their patients’ conditions, critical care nurses receive specialized training that allows them to remain alert and perform under intense pressure.

Learn more about Critical Care certification at the American Association of Critical Care Nurses’ (AACN) website.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By Furnished Finder

April 27, 2023

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Avoiding Homesickness While Travel Nursing

Travel nursing is exciting, adventurous, and thrilling but can also be challenging! Leaving home for periods of time can leave you feeling like you’re missing a part of yourself, and you can even get homesick from time to time. We’ve put together a few tips to help you avoid this feeling and make any place you’re living feel like home!

Ways to avoid homesickness while travel nursing:

homesickness while travel nursing

Bring some familiar bedding.

Any great rental property will provide plenty of bedding, including extra blankets and sheets, but sometimes just having a blanket from home can make you feel more settled in. It doesn’t have to be something bulky and hard to travel with, just something that reminds you of the coziness of your bed back home. 

Have some photos.

Yes, we all have thousands of photos on our phones, but it’s much more inviting to have some photos printed that you can put on the fridge, on the mirror, or your nightstand. They don’t have to be in a big frame. Just quick and easy prints or even Polaroids can suffice to remind you of the people you love. 

homesickness while travel nursing

Get out and about.

This may seem obvious, but all too often, when working long shifts, the last thing you may want to do is go explore. Take advantage of your days off to really go explore the city you’re in. Join a Meetup group, find a friend through work, and go adventure together. You can even make a city bucket list of things you want to see before you’re off to your next adventure!

Check out nature.

One of the best parts about traveling the country is the ability to see the different parts of Mother Nature. Even if it’s a bit of a drive to get to the local nature areas, make time for it and get out there to see what it has to offer you! From the oceans to the mountains and everything in between, there are some amazing things to be seen when you go looking!

Have some visitors.

If your home has space for it, have a visitor come stay with you for a while! You can explore together while spending good, quality time with someone you might miss from home. These days, with so many people working remotely, this can be easier than ever! 

homesickness while travel nursing

Order your favorites from home.

Are there certain foods, drinks, or anything else from home that just make you feel good? Online ordering can be a great thing! Order some of these to have on hand for homesick times when you can have a bit of home!

Carve out time to visit.

It’s often common to go from a travel assignment to a travel assignment but consider taking time to visit home for a week or two, maybe longer, if you feel like you need a break from the road. Don’t let yourself get burnt out! You’ll take your travel career much further if you give yourself the grace and space to take breaks!

Remember that travel nursing is a way to explore and bring joy, and never forget to make it an adventure! We hope that you found these tips for avoiding homesickness while travel nursing helpful. Do you have any tips for fellow travel nurses to help avoid homesickness while travel nursing? Comment them below.

Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By Amare Medical Network

April 26, 2023

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Savings Unleashed: Nurse Discounts for Registered Nurses and Beyond

Amare Medical Network provided this article.

By Jaclyn Neilly, BSN, BA, RN, Director of Clinical Services at Amare Medical Network

Being a nurse is hard work. We are put through it shift after shift and hardly get any recognition at times. However small, there are some silver linings or perks that come along with working in healthcare, especially nursing. With Nurses Week (May 6-12) approaching, let’s look at some places that offer these discounts.

ID.me is an excellent resource for verifying and locating a wide variety of discounts up to 50% off year-round for nurses, including vacations, shoes, and apparel. Most cell phone carriers also have a discount for nurses through ID.me.

discounts for nurses

Some of these discounts include education, clothing, shoes, entertainment, and many more.

Check out these other year-round discounts for nurses:

discounts for nurses

Each year for Nurses Week, places like Dunkin, Starbucks, Applebee’s, Chipotle, and Chick-fil-A (just to name a few!) offer discounts and freebies to nurses. As the time gets closer, check to see what is available near you.

There may also be local small businesses that honor nurses and healthcare providers, like restaurants, barbershops, and hair salons. These may require a little more digging for you to locate, but they are well worth it.

At Amare Medical Network, we show our nurses how much we appreciate them each year during Nurses Week by sending them gifts. Thank you for your dedication to providing care worthy of a million smiles

Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By TNAA- Travel Nurse Across America

April 24, 2023

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Things That Shocked Me My First Year as a Travel Nurse

TNAA-Travel Nurse Across America provided this article.

Going from staff nurse to travel nurse comes with a lot of new experiences. It’s easy to get in your head and talk yourself out of a good thing when you don’t know what to expect. However, ask most travel nurses, and they’ll tell you to go ahead and do it scared because there are a lot of worthwhile experiences coming your way.

Travel Nurse 101’s Brandy Pinkerton and TNAA ambassadors share what shocked them during their first year as travel nurses and how they grew from the experience.

Having the Same Goal But Different Methods

first year as a travel nurse

Brandy with Travel Nurse 101

I was shocked at just how different facilities/units do things. There’s more than one right way to do things as long as you are being safe and achieving the same goal. Don’t ever say, “At my old hospital, we did it this way,” unless they ask you.

Lesson Learned

You’re likely used to doing nursing procedures a certain way based on what you were taught at your home hospital. When you become a travel nurse, expect to learn different methods that achieve the same result. Learning these new processes will only help you grow your skill set!

Being Flexible & Adapting

Kristy K.

The shock for me was how quickly jobs wax and wane. At the start of my first contract, there were tons of jobs posted, but just a few months later, there were so few that I was scared about how to keep traveling. When I first started traveling, I had no money, so going without a contract for a while would have been devastating. So learning how to adapt to take jobs, you aren’t really interested in location/shift/money-wise just to make ends meet can take a toll on you mentally if not prepared. But you have to learn to be open to it to make it work and pray that the contract won’t be so bad. It’s only 3 months, right?! With time and saving properly while on contracts, I’ve learned to keep a nest egg so I don’t have to rush into anything.

first year as a travel nurse
Brandy (Travel Nurse 101)

Leah T.

I knew I wanted to travel to certain areas. Sometimes it didn’t work out to go to one of those places at a certain time of year, and I got bummed about that. I learned to be more flexible (which is something I love that travel nursing changed in me), have multiple backup plans, and that things always seem to work out.

Lesson Learned

There are busy and slow seasons in the travel nurse industry, but being flexible will help you have consistent work and allow you to explore new places that lead to your favorite experiences.

Adjusting to New Environments

Ally F.

When I first moved to Dallas, I was in a hotel for the first week while my apartment got ready. I took my dog for a walk. After I got back, the desk asked where we had walked, and they looked at me, shocked. They said, “Don’t walk too far. It’s not safe.” Didn’t think anything of it until that moment.

Grace P.

So, I’m geographically challenged. I took my first assignment out in Reno, Nevada. Here I was, thinking I’ll be out West, and it will be beautiful and warm. Now, this was in January. Little did I realize how close I was to Lake Tahoe and just how much snow I was going to have to drive in. And I’m an Alabama girl and hadn’t dealt with snow like that since I was way younger. So there’s that. 😂

Lesson Learned

You might be a small-town nurse headed to a big city, or you might go to an area that has natural hazards you aren’t used to experiencing. We’ve all been there! Researching ahead of time can take away a lot of the anxiety.

Experiencing Loneliness

Debbie S.

The shock for me on my first assignment was being away from home and family for 13 weeks.

Staci S.

experience as a travel nurse

The loneliness of that first assignment can really be triggered after a hard shift. Find some activity in the community to help build relationships or some sort of local connection. I joined a local gym on my first assignment, and that really helped me have an outlet, as well as make friends in the area.

Lesson Learned

Having a great support system that you can tap into – whether that’s video calling your loved ones back home, making new friends on assignment, or using your agency’s support teams and resources – makes a huge difference in your day-to-day life and overall career.

Finding an Agency That Guides You To Success

You want to take on this new adventure as a travel nurse, but navigating the changes that come with it  – from experiencing a new city and work setting to being away from your friends – can feel overwhelming. It’s imperative when researching agencies that you find the one that offers benefits, recruiters, and support teams that can guide you on your journey and can align your career path with your overall personal and professional goals.

Some agencies might have industry experts, like a clinical support team, that can walk you through difficult work situations, or they might have benefits, like free mental wellness resources that you can use whenever you need guidance. Having an agency that will support you makes all the difference when you’re taking on this new venture as a travel nurse.

*Travel Nurse 101 is an online community run by Brandy Pinkerton, who uses her experience in travel and flight nursing to provide resources and encouragement to those wanting to take on the career. TNAA reached out to Brandy for quotes due to the nature of the subject. For more about Brandy, you can follow her updates on Instagram and Facebook.

Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)